Quit PC?????

A few months ago, I began having what I have described as "emotionally charged" dreams. They're not really nightmares. But there is allot of emotion involved. Many, but not all of them, involve having heated arguments with family members including my parents who are long-since deceased. They typically end with me storming out of the house having the sense that I neither can nor will ever return. At first, these dreams occurred only occasionally. But recently they have become an almost nightly affair. And, while in the midst of these dreams, I will sometimes yell, jerk violently, begin to roll out of bed, or swing my arms about. During one dream, I yelled: "Get out!" Last week I saw my pdoc. He gave me a prescription for some medication that is supposed to calm these dreams. (Clonidine)

I mentioned all of this to one of my wonderful YouTube friends, with whom I keep in touch. She messaged me back, told me a story from her past that she felt was relevant, & implored me to get off of PC. Her perspective was that all of the "turmoil" I encounter on PC might be causing, or at least contributing to, my emotionally charged dreams.

Now, I don't take my friend's concern lightly. On the other hand, I doubt that there is really a relationship between the time I spend on PC & my emotionally charged dreams. And the reality is that I'm hooked on PC... at least for the time being! Perhaps at some later date, I'll feel differently. But for the moment, I'm staying here. I do need to respond to my friend's message; to thank her for her concern & to assure her that I'll bear her concern in mind. In real life, I don't have any friends. (I have acquaintances... but no friends.) So it's comforting to know that, at least on-line, there are people who have this much concern for my welfare...

Do people get attached to others emotions here? Yup. We are a forum of mentally ill people, some people take in emotions and it effects their own mood and views. Some of us don't. I think it's logical and safe to draw the line sometimes when it comes to time spent on here. Which isn't to give offense to the forum or it's people. Sometimes we just need to pull away to focus on ourselves.

So, I do think her point has some bearing here.

I hope the new meds help with the dreams! when I dream they are pretty vivid and emotional too, luckily I don't dream all the time though, I can imagine how hard it must be!

Going on what your friend said, she may be right or she may be wrong. Only you can find that out really. Being hooked on PC isn't really the best of things to be hooked on...although if you're spending a good amount of time in the distraction forums maybe it's not so bad.

If you come to the point where you decide to try your friend's advice maybe just tell yourself you're going for a break and will be back dependant on if it helps etc. or simply cut down the amount of time you spend here.

Obviously the choice is yours and either way I hope the dreams ease!

Thanks for reading my post Secretwhisper! I love my friend. But I don't plan to take her advice. Actually, I may not be continuing to take the Clonidine either. I've only been on it for a bit less than a week & I've gained 2 pounds. I'm pretty thin & so I could easily put on a few pounds & it wouldn't be a big deal. But, for some reason, I have allot of emotional energy tied up in my weight. If this medication is going to make me gain weight... even a little bit, it's outta here!

One thing that is coming up is that my wife is planning to retire at the end of the year. When she does, I'll no longer have the kind of time I have now to spend on the internet. So I'll have to make some decisions about where I'm going to put what time I do have.

Yeah I have the same thing with weight gain. Yuck! Has the clonidine helped at all in the time you've been on it? Maybe give it another week or so and see if you gain anymore weight before coming off it?

Why dont you talk to a t about these dreams? From other of your posts, these dreams might make sense. I have had similar dreams, arguing with my mother. Those tapered off as i worked thru the feelings. Plus i started winning the arguments in my dreams!

Yes, the clonidine has helped with the bad dreams. Unfortunately, I'm already freaking out with regard to my weight gain ... like I said... I have allot of emotional energy tied up in my weight. And, on top of this weight gain, I pigged out for lunch today! If I weigh more than 150 pounds tomorrow [don't know what that would be in stone(?)] which is certainly possible... I'll REALLY freak! God... I have so many problems... I have problems I don't even recognize that I have until I come up against them! Maybe I have some kind of weird eating disorder too... on top of everything else... oh boy ... I'm starting to get depressed. I need to go wash dishes...

Thanks for replying to my post, Hankster! Yes, you're absolutely correct. They do make allot of sense. There's more detail to some of them than I have gone into. I don't have a T. I've never had much luck with them. Plus my transportation options are pretty limited. So that decreases the possibilities even further...

maybe there will be another med you can try which doesn't lead to weight gain. Talk to your doctor about it

My T told me she thought pc might be destabilizing for me back in October but I haven't quit. I've been stable since mid January.

I use PC when I'm scared to sleep, like now (03:32 in the UK). However, on good nights I spend too much time rootling around here and I'm close to being "addicted" to it. I don't have friends IRL so if I wasn't here I'd have nobody and I don't want to be alone anymore. Like you I can't imagine giving it up.

Ive taken prazosin for dreams and PTSD. I just took one pill about 30 min before bed. It helped with the dreams and no weight gain.

Thanks for your reply, Emomom! For me, it's difficult to know. I don't see any direct connection between my dreams & being on PC. I suppose there may be some indirect connection such as being on PC stirs up my emotional state in general & that then leads to me have these emotionally charged dreams. But I need to have somewhere to talk about my emotional distress & no one else wants to hear about (not that I can blame them!) So to borrow a phrase from the Indian mystic: Ramana Maharshi: "I'll be here more alive than ever. Where else would I "go?"

I'm not sure that I can add much to the wonderful replies you've received, just want you to know I care ((((((( hugs )))))))

My therapist thinks I'm addicted to PC because I spend so much time on it. I've tried to explain to him that it's not really an addiction, it's a way to fill time that I don't know how to fill. Like you Skeezyks, I don't have many people I feel I can talk to about my MI. At least I can come on here and feel heard and understood.

Thanks for your reply, Sidestepper. I LOVE your quote from Joseph Campbell!